50: Chapter 50 Going to the movies? That's ridiculous!

The car drove out of the street where Yinghua Middle School was located and merged into the main road.

Su Bai gripped the steering wheel and glanced at Mu Qing beside him.

"What do you want to eat?"

Mu Qing thought for a moment, a faint blush appearing on her face.

"Let's go to my place," she said softly.

Su Bai froze for a moment.

Go to her place?

"Hmm... is that appropriate?" he asked.

Mu Qing quickly explained:

"Don't get me wrong! I don't live with my parents. I have my own apartment, a gift from my grandmother."

Su Bai understood then.

So she lived alone.

He looked at her, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up.

"Class Monitor, you moved out to live on your own," he said, his tone carrying a hint of teasing, "surely it isn't to make it easier to watch that?"

Mu Qing paused for a moment, then realized what he meant by "that."

Her face flushed bright red.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" She raised her hand and hit his arm, the force very light, like an act of coquetry.

Su Bai smiled and stopped teasing her.

He looked down to adjust the steering wheel, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Mu Qing—

He was much taller than Mu Qing, and from this angle, he could just catch a glimpse of the scenery inside her sweater collar.

The collar of her cream-colored sweater was slightly open, revealing a stretch of fair collarbone, and further down...

Su Bai calmly looked away.

"Ahem, give me the address."

Mu Qing didn't notice his gaze; she was still shy from his previous words.

"No need, just follow my directions," she said, "it's nearby."

Su Bai nodded and drove forward according to her guidance.

After several turns, the car finally stopped at the entrance of a trendy-looking apartment complex.

"We're here." Mu Qing unbuckled her seatbelt. "It's this building."

Su Bai parked the car and followed her into the complex.

Mu Qing's home was on the twelfth floor.

The door opened to reveal a loft-style apartment, a duplex with a high ceiling.

The lower floor was estimated to be seventy or eighty square meters, and there was another level upstairs; the open-plan design made the space appear very spacious.

The decor was a minimalist wood style, with white walls, light wood flooring, and furniture all in the same color scheme, looking clean and comfortable.

A faint fragrance drifted from the entryway, like some kind of incense.

Mu Qing took a pair of men's slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them at Su Bai's feet.

"My dad occasionally comes over to see me," she explained, her tone carrying a hint of embarrassment, "these are what he wears. I've already disinfected them."

Su Bai didn't mind, changed into the slippers, and walked into the living room.

There was a leather sofa, a wooden coffee table, and several decorative paintings hanging on the wall.

In the corner stood a few potted plants, growing lush and green. On the TV stand sat a few books and a bouquet of dried flowers.

The entire space was exquisite and comfortable, exuding a feeling of "living life with intention."

"Sit." Mu Qing pointed to the sofa. "I'll grind you a cup of coffee."

Su Bai sat on the sofa and watched her walk toward the open kitchen.

The kitchen wasn't large, but it was fully equipped.

Mu Qing took out a hand-cranked coffee grinder from the cabinet, along with a French press, and began to work with practiced movements.

Su Bai was a bit surprised.

He hadn't expected this young lady to know so much.

The grinder made a faint clicking sound, and the aroma of coffee beans soon filled the air.

Mu Qing focused on turning the handle, a few stray hairs falling from behind her ear, swaying gently against her cheek.

Su Bai leaned back on the sofa, watching her.

After a while, the coffee was ground.

Mu Qing began to brew it, her technique professional, her water flow controlled very steadily.

The aroma of the coffee gradually spread, mixing into the room's original scent, creating a unique and warm atmosphere.

She walked over carrying two cups of coffee, handed one to Su Bai, kept one for herself, and sat down beside him.

"Here, try it."

Su Bai took it and took a sip.

The coffee was rich and mellow, the acidity and bitterness perfectly balanced, with a lingering fruity aftertaste.

"Not bad," he said. "Hand-brewed?"

"Yeah."

Mu Qing sat opposite him, also holding her own cup.

"I like to study this when I have free time."

Su Bai looked at her.

"I didn't expect you to be so refined in private."

Mu Qing's face flushed slightly.

"It's just... a small hobby."

The two drank their coffee in silence, and the living room quieted down, with only the ticking of the wall clock.

After a while, Mu Qing spoke up.

"What do you want to eat? I'll go make it."

Su Bai looked up at her.

Mu Qing's hair was let down, a blush still lingering on her face. She sat on the sofa, holding the coffee cup in her hands, looking gentle and domestic.

"Whatever, anything is fine." He raised his coffee and took another sip.

"I'm not hungry yet, let's talk about it in a while."

Mu Qing nodded and didn't ask again.

After another moment of silence, Su Bai spoke.

"Aren't you going to show me around your room?"

Mu Qing hesitated for a moment.

"Okay."

She stood up and took Su Bai on a tour of the house.

Downstairs were the living room, kitchen, a storage room, and a guest bathroom.

The space wasn't large, but every corner was kept neat and tidy. The staircase was wood-colored, and it creaked slightly when stepped on.

Upstairs was a small hall that Mu Qing had converted into an audiovisual room.

A projection screen hung on the wall, with two comfortable beanbag chairs opposite it, and the speaker he had seen earlier sat in the corner.

"This is nice." Su Bai nodded. Mu Qing smiled and continued walking forward.

Upstairs, there was also a master bedroom and a master bathroom.

The remaining area was left as an open void, perfectly overlooking the living room downstairs.

When they reached the door of the master bedroom, Mu Qing stopped.

Her face flushed slightly.

"This place..." she said softly, "is off-limits."

Su Bai looked at her and nodded.

"Understood." He smiled, that smile carrying a hint of mischief. Mu Qing's face grew even redder.

The two returned downstairs and sat on the sofa.

Mu Qing thought for a moment and said, "How about... we watch a movie?"

She pointed upstairs. "My audiovisual room has a good sound system."

Su Bai nodded. "Sure, we're free anyway."

Mu Qing stood up immediately. "You go up and sit first, I'll go cut some fruit."

She pointed to the tablet on the coffee table. "I've downloaded many movies on that tablet, you can pick one first."

Su Bai went upstairs and sat on the sofa chair in the audiovisual room.

The beanbag chair was very comfortable, allowing him to lie back halfway.

He picked up the tablet and opened the movie list.

There was everything in the list: domestic, foreign, artistic, commercial, comedy, suspense. It seemed Mu Qing was indeed a movie enthusiast.

He scrolled down, and his finger suddenly stopped. A familiar name jumped into his eyes. The Melody series.

He subconsciously tapped it open; inside was a folder, and the folder's name was "Superwoman."

He tapped it again. The progress bar showed—it was exactly at a critical part.

Su Bai hadn't even had time to react before his finger had already tapped it.

The next second, the sound exploded from the speakers. It was... that kind of sound!

The tablet was connected to the sound system, and the volume was turned up very high.

The sound echoed in the small audiovisual room, so clear that there was nowhere to hide!

Su Bai froze. He scrambled to press pause.

But right at that moment, footsteps came from the staircase.

Mu Qing walked up carrying a plate of cut cantaloupe. She pushed open the door to the audiovisual room.

Their eyes met.

The sound was still continuing. "Ah... Ah..."

Mu Qing's face went from its normal complexion to pink in an instant, then to bright red.

The cantaloupe in her hand almost dropped to the floor.

Su Bai stood up and quickly pressed pause. The sound stopped. But those few seconds just now had been long enough!